Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told EU leaders at last week's summit that a meeting with his American counterpart Donald Trump shocked him with the US president's state of mind, citing five European diplomats briefed on the conversation, Politico reports, writes UNN.
Details
Robert Fico, one of the few EU leaders who often supports Trump's position on Europe's weaknesses, was concerned about the US president's "psychological state," two diplomats said. According to two diplomats, Fico used the word "dangerous" to describe how the US president behaved during their personal meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on January 17.
The conversation between Fico and his European counterparts took place in Brussels on January 22 on the sidelines of an emergency EU summit organized to discuss transatlantic relations after Trump's threats to seize Greenland. Leaders used the meeting to try to calm tensions after the US president withdrew his threat to impose tariffs on goods from some European countries over the issue a day earlier.
According to diplomats, the Slovak prime minister made his statements at a separate informal meeting between some leaders and key EU officials, rather than during official round-table talks. Although none of the diplomats who spoke to the publication were present at the meeting, individual leaders briefed them on the content of the conversation shortly after it ended.
All diplomats, the publication writes, were granted anonymity so they could discuss confidential conversations between leaders. They represent four different EU governments. The fifth is a high-ranking EU official. All of them said they did not know the details of what Trump told Fico that prompted his reaction.
Fico's comments, the publication writes, are particularly relevant because he is one of Europe's most pro-Trump politicians, boasting about his access to the US president in a Facebook video after the Mar-a-Lago meeting and expressing support for Washington's approach to the Russian-Ukrainian war. A year ago, Fico spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference and told Americans: "Your president is doing Europe a great service."
Fico's representatives did not respond to numerous requests for comment.
Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said: "This is absolutely complete fake news from anonymous European diplomats trying to get attention. The meeting at Mar-a-Lago was positive and productive."
A senior administration official who was present at the meeting with Trump and Fico, wishing to remain anonymous to describe the conversation, said he did not recall any awkward moments or inappropriate exchanges. He said the meeting, which Fico requested, was pleasant, routine, and included several casual exchanges that were captured by a White House photographer. Fico seemed "traumatized" by his meeting with Trump, one European diplomat said. Fico described Trump as "out of his mind," the diplomat said, using words they were told by their leader, who was directly involved in the conversation.
Fico's personal concerns contrast with the public account of his visit to Mar-a-Lago, which he posted on his official Facebook page.
In this video, Fico stated that the invitation to Trump's Florida residence was a sign of "high respect and trust" from the US president. The two leaders discussed Ukraine, as well as the shared view that the EU is in "deep crisis," during what Fico called "informal and open talks."
Fico, who signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Washington during his trip to the US, did not mention Trump's claims to Greenland or his operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in early January in the video.
He said the discussions focused on issues such as Ukraine, claiming that Washington asked for his opinion because Slovakia "is not a parrot of Brussels," meaning it does not repeat the positions of EU institutions.
Even without Fico's remarks, European leaders and senior officials are increasingly concerned about the US president's "unpredictability," according to a sixth EU diplomat who was not directly briefed by a leader on last week's conversation.
Concerns about the US president's health "are quickly becoming an increasingly discussed topic at all levels," said an EU official involved in political discussions in Brussels and between capitals.
Trump, 79, has repeatedly and vehemently denied having any cognitive ailments, telling New York Magazine this week that he does not suffer from Alzheimer's disease.
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Since Trump returned to office a year ago, European governments have been trying to figure out how to respond to his positions on issues such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, his administration's apparent support for far-right politicians, barriers to free trade, and the US role in the continent's defense, the publication writes.
Earlier this month, Trump threatened new tariffs on eight European countries, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, which he said were blocking his efforts to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory belonging to Denmark, an EU and NATO member. He also did not rule out seizing the island by force.
In his speech in Davos last Wednesday, the US president demanded "immediate negotiations" for Greenland but ruled out military action. After the speech, he said he had agreed on a framework agreement for Greenland with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and withdrew his threat, although the details of the agreement have not yet been released.
At last week's summit, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, two of the most influential EU leaders, warned their counterparts that, despite this agreement, the bloc must become less dependent on the US for its security.
Speaking after the meeting, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that leaders had learned the lesson that "firm" but "non-escalatory" resistance to Trump is an effective strategy that they should continue, the publication writes.